Want to buy a caboose? City auction set for mid-October
"The caboose is in rough condition," city documents say.
What you need to know:
- Wasilla plans to auction the Nunley Park caboose this month after a legal review delayed the sale.
- The buyer must pay to move the aging caboose and about 38 feet of railroad track. City officials said the caboose could pose safety hazards.
- The caboose removal is part of a broader Nunley Park renovation that sparked controversy last year when city crews cut down trees to improve lighting and kick off a park overhaul project.
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WASILLA — After a months-long delay for a legal review, the city of Wasilla plans to open the public auction for the Nunley Park caboose Oct. 13.
The caboose auction, which will be linked from the city's website, will be part of a broader surplus sale used by the city to offload unneeded equipment and items confiscated by the Wasilla Police Department, city officials said.
The auction was intially targeted for July.
Bids for the caboose will start at $1, but the winner must pay to move it, officials said. It comes with about 38 feet of railroad track, which must also be removed.
Brought to Alaska in the 1990s as a party room marketing gimmick at the Wasilla McDonald's, the once-yellow caboose was repainted red with white "Wasilla Railroad" lettering and purchased by the city from a private party for about $10,000, according to city documents.
The caboose sale and removal is part of a planned overhaul of Nunley Park that became a flashpoint early last year when city crews cut down a swath of trees in the park to make way for improved lighting.
The city also roped off the caboose play area because its age and possible asbestos posed a danger to users, officials said at the time.
"The caboose is in rough condition and exhibits visible corrosion, deteriorated and flaking paint, weathering, and other age-related deterioration. The interior is boarded up due to years of vandalism," according to city documents detailing the sale.
The auction was originally targeted for July but was delayed by a legal review triggered by potential hazards associated with the caboose, city officials said.
The caboose purchase agreement recommends that the buyer contract for a "third-party environmental and/or industrial hygiene inspection, including sampling and laboratory analysis … prior to any transport, disturbance, renovation, demolition and or disposal activities."
-- Contact Amy Bushatz at contact@matsusentinel.com